


As the future holds

by issen4



Category: HIStory2 - 是非 | HIStory2: Right or Wrong (TV), HIStory3 - 那一天 | HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (TV)
Genre: Bullying, Gen, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:49:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28139466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issen4/pseuds/issen4
Summary: Yoyo and a small campus incident
Relationships: Fei Shengzhe/Shi Yijie, Lu Zhigang/Sun Boxiang
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	As the future holds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maggie33](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maggie33/gifts).



Shi Yijie (that's Professor Shi Yijie to you) looked down at the boxes stacked by the door to the office of the university's newest student counsellor, hoped he wasn't hovering, and said, "Sure you don't need any help?"

"You're hovering," said the love of his life. "I'm fine, I'll be done by lunch. Go away. Besides, weren't you going to buy groceries since Yoyo is coming back tomorrow?"

"The romance is dead," Shi Yijie grumbled. "Her mum called in the morning, after you left the house. They’re getting back to Taipei a little earlier, and she's dropping her off at noon here."

Fei Shengzhe turned around, balancing an armful of books. "I thought their Taizhong getaway was longer. Did something happen?"

"Work emergency, she said," Shi Yijie recalled what his ex-wife had explained earlier and shrugged. Ever since she started working at her new company, Xinru was a lot busier, but at least she was based in Taipei for the most part and Yoyo could see her fairly often, unlike the months-long separations that marked Yoyo's childhood. "Yoyo said she wanted to come and see your new office, anyway. She's still excited about you working on the same campus as me." He gave his husband a cheeky grin.

Who rolled his eyes, but his face softened. "Whose fault is it that I had to transfer out in my third year to avoid all the talk about dating my professor?"

"I offered to transfer out but you refused."

Fei Shengzhe reminded him, "You are tenured here." Which would have made accusations about the imbalance of power even louder if he had stayed. "Besides, transferring out gave me the opportunity to take the accelerated programme at ____ University, and to get my licence to practice earlier. Otherwise I wouldn't even be here." He glanced at the time. "Give me an hour, it'll be almost noon then. Go back to your office or take a walk or something. Call me so I can go meet Yoyo with you later."

"Sure you don't need any-"

"Yes!" He found himself cheerfully ushered out the door with only a kiss on the cheek.

***

He only rolled his eyes a little when Yoyo called him to say that she was already on the campus, having a snack at the student cafeteria. Apparently Xinru had already dropped her off without telling him, assuming that Yoyo would contact him herself. On the one hand, he appreciated not having to make polite talk with his ex-wife. On the other hand, he wished that she wouldn't just hand Yoyo back like a parcel without informing him. Granted, Yoyo was no longer a child, but a teenager….

"…are you listening to me, Dad?" the fourteen-year-old in his ear asked, the rolled-eyed tone in her voice a clear indication that she was well aware of his internal grumbles against Xinru. They'd tried to maintain a cordial relationship in front of Yoyo through the years, but teenagers were sneaky and observant, and anyway Shi Yijie did not need to say anything out loud; Yoyo could see how her mother was like, after all. 

"Yes, Yoyo. I'm listening."

"You weren't paying attention at all," she accused. "I said, there was a fight here and now they need an adult to get me out."

"What?"

"I'm okay," Yoyo said, the put-upon tone stronger than ever, the brat. "But there's a bunch of security guys here, and they said I need to have a parent to fetch me. Can you come, or should I call Xiao-Fei Papa instead?"

"I'll be there." 

The student cafeteria was open through the term break. Shi Yijie seldom patronised it, but he had heard that the bubble-tea part of it was a franchise from a popular chain in Taipei, and of course Yoyo couldn't resist her usual dose of bubble tea. The university security staff recognised him when he entered, nonetheless, and one of them waved as he approached. "Dr Shi," he said, and Shi Yijie managed to remember his name just in time. "Lao Zhang? Everything okay? My daughter called me to say she's here." He nodded at the man, but craned his neck around the place to look for Yoyo.

"That's your daughter?" Lao Zhang scratched at his grey-white moustache. "I should have guessed. She'd have joined in the fight too, if it weren't for Sun Bo." 

"What?" These series of unexpected revelations were what Shi Yijie couldn't stand about being a parent.

"Dad," Yoyo came rushing up, another security guy trailing, as though afraid that she was going to make a run for it. Shi Yijie frowned at him, and Lao Zhang held up a restraining hand.

"Are you really okay?" Shi Yijie looked at her up and down, couldn't resist smoothing her hair out of her face, snorting when she squirmed.

She shrugged that teenager's shrug. "I'm fine. But Dad, Sun Bo-ge isn't!" 

"Who's Sun Bo-ge?"

A second-year university student and part-time assistant at the bubble-tea outlet, as it turned out. Tall, with close-cropped hair, one of those constantly cheerful, energetic young men who seemed to have sunshine radiating from their eyes at all times. Shi Yijie had seen lots of such young men through his years as a professor. They were campus jocks, often more concerned with sports than studies.

But not unkind. 

"They were bullying that other boy," Yoyo said, indignation in every pore of her body, "and laughing at him for having a crush on Sun Bo-ge, and when then Sun Bo-ge came over and they pushed him, and Sun Bo-ge pushed back, and-"

"Er, she tried to confront her when they tried to pour water on A-Hong," explained Sun Bo – who perplexingly gave his name as Sun Bo Xiang, second-year in the Business Faculty – "and when I pulled her away, her bag got a bit wet-"

Yoyo displayed her overnight bag, which did look a little worse for wear. Other victims were an entire tray of cakes, a vat of just-brewed oolong and a carton of paper cups. And bubble-tea all over the floor.

"Is A-Hong all right?" Shi Yijie asked, looking at the other young man who was mopping his books with a wad of paper towels, and another two girls who looked like his friends were helping to gather some scattered belongings on the floor.

Sun Bo shook his head a little. "I'll talk to him later. But now that security is involved, he'll have to make a formal report and complaint against those jerks. He's always refused to do anything before."

"How about you?" 

"Me? I'm fine. I'll give my report later. Got to man the fort here until the boss gets here." He eyed Shi Yijie. "I'm sorry, you are a professor here?"

"My Dad's the senior professor of anthropology!" Yoyo said loyally.

"Uh-huh," Shi Yijie gave his daughter a fond look, knowing very well the only time she acted adorable was to avoid a talking-to or to ask for an advance on her allowance. Was something else going on this time? He looked around, and met Lao Zhang's guilty look, who quickly ended the phone call he was on. "Lao Zhang?"

The man himself came over, dusting off the sleeves of his security uniform with an uncomfortable look. "They're saying that it's your daughter who's the troublemaker, Dr Shi. They said your daughter made a rude remark about A-Hong having a crush on a man, and they were only trying to defend A-Hong."

At that, Yoyo's jaw dropped open. She met Shi Yijie's raised eyebrows, and her face turned red within seconds. "Dad, I didn't-

"I don’t believe that for a second," Shi Yijie said evenly to Lao Zhang. "We'll head over to the main office now." He placed an arm around Yoyo, nodded to Sun Bo and walked with her.

***

It took another hour, by which time both Shi Yijie and Yoyo were feeling that it was definitely time for lunch, and a promise (Shi Yijie did not make threats) to make an actual police report, before the bully retracted his accusation against Yoyo.

"Let's go find Xiao-Fei Papa," Yoyo tugged at him, after giving Shi Yijie her overnight bag to hold. "I bet he has food."

"You expect your Xiao-Fei Papa to cook for you?" Shi Yijie snorted, thinking of the stack of books in that new office. Not an omurice in sight. "We'll go out for lunch, silly." 

But when they reached the newest counsellor's office, it was to see Fei Shengzhe speaking to a couple at the door. "Fei Shengzhe!" he called. 

His husband glanced up, as did the couple, Shi Yijie's eyebrows rose to see that it was Sun Bo and another man.

"Xiao-Fei papa!" Yoyo exclaimed, before skipping towards him as though she were ten years old again.

"Yoyo!" 

Their hug had the other couple glancing at each other uncertainly, before Fei Shengzhe ruffled Yoyo's hair, causing her to turn away with an exaggerated sniff.

"Professor Shi?" Sun Bo greeted, then looked at Yoyo. "Ah, now I understand." The man at his side seemed to pick up the clues just as quickly and nodded at them as well.

"I'm Lu Zhigang," he introduced himself. "Sun Bo and I-" he gestured between themselves. He was some years older than Sun Bo, and was slightly taller. "I own the bubble-tea outlet at the campus café."

Shi Yijie nodded a greeting, though his attention was caught by the leaflets in his husband's arms. "Working already?" he said, only mildly annoyed. After all, the new set of responsibilities was also how Fei Shengzhe got hired by the university so quickly; the counselling department had no choice but to increase headcount after Student Affairs put in their demands last year.

"Given the incident Sun Bo saw earlier, I thought it was a good opportunity to get the ball rolling," Fei Shengzhe said. "They've assigned the LGBT Society a bigger meeting room this year, I heard. Sun Bo will get the first meeting up next week." He shook his head. "No more talking shop." They said goodbyes and waited while Sun Bo and Lu Zhigang walked away hand in hand. 

"Lunch, Xiao-Fei papa?" said Yoyo.

Somehow, the three of them ended up in a small eatery just off the campus. Fei Shengzhe was, just as Shi Yijie suspected, angered by the accusation towards Yoyo, and only prevented from going to confront the campus security for entertaining such a blatant untruth by Shi Yijie's assurance that he would make sure they looked into it.

"No way I'm going to get Yoyo be accused of bullying when the real culprit's someone else," Fei Shengzhe said. He patted Yoyo on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, sweetie, for standing up for someone else. Your dad taught you well." 

"We both taught her well," Shi Yijie put in. Their eyes met. Yoyo was now tall enough that their eyes couldn't meet over her head as they used to, but Fei Shengzhe still smiled that sweet, soft smile that made Shi Yijie's insides melt, as it had all those years ago. 

/end


End file.
